How many times do you need till you get it right?
by capricornT
Summary: Sakura is leaving Konoha in order to mend her broken heart. The question is who broke her heart and who will mend it? Will it ever break again? How many times does she need to break it until she finds the right one?
1. Prologue

"I'll be fine Tsunade sama", Sakura said trying to convince the fifth hokage that she can manage living in that village. After all she is a ninja, trained to adapt any kind of situation presented.

"I know you'll be fine Sakura, but don't you think that you are rushing a little? Come on, a little longer here won't be so bad. Though that village needs a doctor, it's not an important mission. I understand your urgency of getting away but accepting a mission that doesn't need your level of expertise that badly is unacceptable Sakura. A chuunin would be fine. You are a jounin, you are more needed here in Konoha than a farming village. Please reconsider your decision Sakura, I don't want my best medic to leave this place for years".

"Tsunade sama, how can I continue living here? Knowing that I'll be seeing his face and her face almost everyday, the pain is unbearable. I know by running away so fast portrays a cowardly attitude but I rather be a coward than hurting myself more. Even though I'm a medic nin, I can't heal my broken heart. I need time and new environment to do so. Please allow me to accept this mission, I'll come back to Konoha in few years I promise you that. This hidden village will always be my home you know that. Please Tsunade sama, please", Sakura spoke with a void face holding back as much emotions as she can.

"Very well, if time and new environment is what you need now then I shall accept your decision. But remember you promised to come back. Sakura I want you to be happy, do you understand?"

"Yes, thank you very much Tsunade sama, you've done so much for me. How can I ever repay you?"

"Just come back home as fast as you can is all I want"

"Ok, I'll try. I..umm…well goodbye Tsunade sama. Could you please tell them for me? I don't think I can face them at the moment."

"Very well, I'll tell them that it was an urgent mission and you had to leave right away. Take care ok?"

"I will, bye. And thanks again"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Author's note: This is my first story and I'm rating it as T at the moment but I might change it in the future. I'm not revealing the pairings yet. I've only started with a prologue and I'm working on the coming chapters. Please review, your comments are much apreciated.**


	2. Chapter 1

"Welcome to our village, Haruno-san. I'm so glad that the hokage did not overlook our village. By the way I'm Yamada Tatsuki, the head of this village. If there is anything you need, you can tell me. Come I'll show you your house."

Haruno Sakura followed silently after the elderly man. It took her a week to reach the village. She had to cross the whole country to get to this village. During the first half of the journey she was tempted to go back to Konoha and carry on with life as it used to be but no matter how hard she tries she simply can't convince her heart to forget him. Knowing that she'll crumble down in front of him if she sees him again, Sakura decided to continue with the mission.

"Thank you very much Yamada-san but please call me Sakura. I would like to apologize on behalf of the hokage for the delay. I'm rather curious about the number of people living here Yamada-san".

Sakura noticed that the houses sprouted here and there. The houses were not built using a proper grid system. The properties were divided by wooden fences. Each property appears to have their own plantation.

"Well, I must admit that this is a rather small village compared to Konoha. Hmmm….there should be about 120 to 140 people here. After all we are just farmers and most of us own a small piece of land enough for each family to plant their crops. We take whatever we need and sell the rest to towns or other villages. Some families have their own shops selling essential things or services. It is rather sad you know, most of the villagers are either old or too young. Our young adults seem to find farming to be boring and less profitable. They prefer to work in towns than digging soil to grow crops. I'm sorry Sakura-san, you might have a few company around your age".

"It's ok Yamada-san, I'm sure I'll enjoy the company of everyone here".

"You are a quiet one, Sakura-san. Hahahaha….stay here for a while and I'm sure you will be a chatter box like me. Ah! Here we are, your new home. I hope you find it comfortable despite being small. I hope you don't mind using this place as your clinic as well. This house was owned by a friend of mine. He died couple of months ago and since he did not have any relatives, this house became the village's property. Well then I shall leave you, I'm sure you would like some rest after such a long journey. Sakura-san, I'm sure you are unable to cook your own meal for awhile so please do join my family and I. We would love to have you over".

"Thank you Yamada-san, I'll be delighted to join your family. I'll see you tonight then Yamada-san".

"Alright and don't worry about the furniture, they are all in there. See you later Sakura-san".

After watching Yamada-san walking of to a distance, Sakura decided that she really needs some sleep. As she entered the house, she couldn't help but notice the cleanliness of the place. Yamada-san must have cleaned the place for her, she must definitely thank him later. Just like he mentioned earlier, there were furniture in the house, a small coffee table in the hall surrounded by five rattan chairs. From the hall, she could see two rooms. There was a bed in the first room and also a cupboard. The second room was empty so she decided to use this room as her clinic and with a little bit of adjustment, her books might be able to fit in there. Speaking of her books, she just hope that it will arrive soon. She only managed to bring along her necessities for the time being. Tsunade-sama said that she will ask some one to bring her other stuff.

The kitchen was situated at the back of the house. There was a kerosene stove and a couple of pots and pans. A few shelves were built onto the wall. There seem to be another door in the kitchen, wonder where does that lead to. Oh! The bathroom, well there were pipes so that means no river bathing. Phew! Thank god. But no hot water, well one can't expect such luxury in a small farming village. The house may be small but Sakura felt comfortable. After all, the smaller the place is the easier it is to manage. Changing into something more lighter, Sakura flopped onto the bed. Staring at the ceiling she wondered whether her friends missed her or not, especially him…did he even realize that she was not there. With that thought she slowly drifted of to sleep.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Author's note: I'm sorry that the first two chapters are rather short. As the story goes on, the length will increase. It is still in the beginning so I hope you guys don't mind. I'll try to update two chapters at a time.**


	3. Chapter 2

Last night Sakura had dinner with the Yamada family. Yamada-san has two sons and three daughters. All of them were married and have kids. His sons and daughters joined for dinner in order to welcome her to the village, therefore the house was crowded. Nevertheless, the food was great. Yamada Natsume is a great cook, definitely from the years of experience cooking for her family. It was a nice change having dinner with a huge family, she never had that chance before since she was the only child.

When she woke up this morning, she felt much better than she did a week ago. The air was so fresh, it made her feel calm and healthy. As she looked around her compound, she notices that she had enough land to plant a few herbs that might be useful for this village. Well she'll get to work on that later on, but now what to do for breakfast? While she was pondering on her breakfast, Sakura did not realize that someone was in front of her, until……..

"GOOD MORNING SAKURA SENSEI!!!!" someone shouted joyfully at her.

Looking down she saw a little girl about the age of eight smiling broadly at her. Sakura was dumbfounded by the sudden noise that she took a minute to grasp that the girl wished her a good morning.

"Well good morning to you too little one," Sakura replied offering a small smile.

The girl stopped smiling and pouted at Sakura.

"I'm not little, I'm 12 years old you know! It's not my fault that I didn't grow so much," the girl replied sadly.

Sakura was taken back by these. 12 years old? Sakura was at least a few inches taller than that girl when she was that age. Most probably the girl didn't have nutritious food that will help her growth. Looks like she has a new job as well, make sure the parents feed their children with proper food to ensure the children's growth. The little girl was still pouting at Sakura and she was holding something that was wrapped with a cloth.

"I'm so sorry. I thought that you were eight years old. So, what is your name?"

"I'm Atsuka Sumire and I'm your neighbor. My mom told me to give this to you. It's breakfast. I hope you'll like it," Sumire said holding up the wrapped box.

Sakura looked around to see where the girl's house is and saw that the nearest house was about 100 meters away. Sumire's mother is so thoughtful to send some food to her. Sakura decided go and thank the mother personally later. Sakura smiled and thanked Sumire while accepting the food. The lunch box felt warm and Sakura could hear her stomach grumbling. Sumire smiled back at Sakura and skipped back home happily singing something that Sakura never heard before.

"Looks like the villagers are very friendly," Sakura whispered to herself going back into the house.

After breakfast, Sakura decided to write to Ino informing of her arrival to this village.

_Hey Ino,_

_I'm sorry for not telling you earlier about my mission. I know I shouldn't have run away but I needed some time for myself. I hope you will understand my situation. Please forgive me. I've already arrived at the village and so far so good. It's a small but beautiful village. Don't worry, I'll definitely come back to Konoha after I feel much better. Besides this mission will take a while, I'm not only here as a doctor but also to train one or two of the villagers to take over my place. Once I find a suitable person, then I can start right away but from what I heard there are not many young adults here so probably I must train the children. Send my regards to everyone especially Tsunade sama. That's all for now, I'll write to you when I've found an apprentice. Until then take care ok._

_Yours truly,_

_H. Sakura_

_p/s: Please don't write to me about him or her, I don't want to know._

Folding the letter, Sakura realized she did not have any envelope.

"Might as well go over to Sumire's house and thank her mother. Maybe she'll have an envelope," Sakura thought to herself.

Later at night, Sakura sat at her door steps with a cup of tea reminiscing her day. In the morning, after she wrote the letter, Sakura went over to Sumire's house. Atsuka Sayuri, Sumire's mother was a very nice person. Sakura figured that Sayuri-san should be in her middle thirties. She has three sons and a daughter. Only her three younger children were at home, her eldest son and husband had gone to the next town with other farmers to sell their crops. Too bad, Sayuri-san didn't have any envelopes. Apparently she doesn't write to anyone or anyone to her. According to her, there is a small post office in the next village. So if Sakura wants to post her letters or to receive them she has to go all the way to the next village. Luckily the next village is not that far away, it takes about an hour or two on foot. Sakura might only take half an hour to reach there since she's a ninja.

After her visit to the Atsukas, Sakura decided to venture the village. She made a few new acquaintances here and there. She had lunch with the Tanaka family. They own a small sundry shop in the village. Sakura bought a few groceries and personal items. She even ordered a desk, three chairs, a display cupboard, and shelves. It may take two to three weeks until she receives her order, after all they are making it for her not getting it from somewhere else. After lunch, Sakura continued venturing until she came upon a beautiful field that faces a couple of hills. The scenery was definitely breathtaking. The field was quite far away from her house but Sakura decided that this field will be her sanctuary. She only hopes that the villagers do not come here often. Sakura lay down on the grass and closed her eyes. Her surrounding was so tranquil that she slowly drifted off to dreamland. By the time she woke up, it was already late evening. She took her purchases and went back home to make herself dinner.

When she realized that her cup was empty , Sakura felt it was best if she retired for the day. Locking her doors and windows, Sakura changed into her pajamas and went to bed hoping that tomorrow will be a good day as today. As she was in the verge of loosing her consciousness, Sakura realized that she never thought of him today and this is a good sign of a healing heart.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Ahuthor's note: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I know that it is a slow start but I figured that a little introduction might help the story. Anyway anyone figured out yet who is the mysterious _him_ and _her_? Well I'm not gonna tell you so wait and find out. The pairings are also a secret :) Other details like their age will slowly emerge throughout the story. Next chapter might be a little interesting.**


	4. Chapter 3

_**Three months later**_

"Sakura sensei, is it ok if I went home now?" Sumire asked.

"Hmm...it's already four eh? Alright, you can go but don't forget to do your revision ok," Sakura replied sternly.

"Ok ok, I will. Bye sensei, see you tomorrow," Sumire said while walking out of the door.

Sakura watches the young girl walking out of the gate towards her home. About a month ago, Sakura decided to take Atsuka Sumire as her apprentice. Sakura started by teaching Sumire different herbs and plants that are useful for medical purposes. They still haven't finish with the plants yet but Sakura is certain that the young girl is capable in the medical field. Sumire is a quick learner and she is really interested in her lessons. Since Sumire is not a ninja, Sakura has to teach her the traditional way of healing people.

After gazing out for a moment, Sakura decided to take a short nap in her sanctuary. Once in a while, Sakura goes to the field that she came across the second day of her stay in this village. She loves that field so much and besides no one else comes over there. Sakura knows that she is healing little by little and by the time her mission is completed she'll be a new person.

Along the way, she greets the villagers that came across her path. The villagers are very friendly and helpful. There is not one villager she has not met before. Not like Konoha, here everyone takes their time to visit their neighbors and chat together. After about seven minutes, she reached the field.

No matter how many times she comes here, she's never bored with this place. After admiring the scenery, she lay down and took a short nap.

Sakura woke up feeling another presence next to her. She got up straight away but unfortunately her brain couldn't take the pressure. She groaned in pain, clutching her head.

"You shouldn't have done that," a deep male voice sounded from her right.

Turning to right, she saw who it was.

"Honda san," Sakura acknowledges.

She was introduced to Honda Takashi when she was on a grocery shopping. Occasionally, she saw him working in his farm or talking to the other farmers. He had never asked for her medical attention before. She doesn't know anything about him but she estimates that he is in his late thirties. She assumed that he is a quiet one and likes to keep to himself. There were a lot of burn scars on his face and arms. She was informed by the other villagers that he got that from a fire accident ten years ago. No one elaborated how it happened.

"I haven't seen you here before," Sakura breaks the silence.

A moment later he replied her.

"I've been busy for awhile."

"I see."

He kept staring ahead of him. Sakura didn't know what else to say.

"Your eyes shows sadness," he told her suddenly.

Sakura's eyes grew large with that remark. She was speechless, if she denied that means she was lying.

"Though it is much lesser now compared to a month ago," he continued quietly.

"How did you?"

"Your eyes remind me of mine," with that reply, he got up and left without saying goodbye.

Sakura continued sitting there, replaying the words in her mind.

"_Your eyes remind me of mine."_

"What was that suppose to mean?" she asked herself.

After a couple of minutes she got up and stretched herself. She then noticed that the sun was about to set. She turned around and walked back the path she took earlier.

Along the way she kept thinking about what he said, perhaps the fire had not only scarred his face but also his heart. _"Note to self: Ask someone else about it"_, with that thought she continued walking back home thinking what she should cook for dinner.

Unfortunately she forgot about it.

_**1 month later**_

"ARGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SENSEI!!! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!! CAN WE STOP???" Sumire shouted frustratedly.

Today Sakura started with the human anatomy. Poor Sumire, it was too much for her to remember the human organ. Sakura turned and looked at the wall clock, 3.30. Deciding that the young girl will not be able to continue, Sakura closed her book.

"Fine, today I'll let you go home half an hour earlier but no excuses tomorrow. We will start again with the human brain, ok."

"Hai…….I understand," Sumire replied collecting her papers and running out of the house.

Sakura giggled at the girl's antics, Sumire ran as if afraid that Sakura will come after her and tie her down to her seat. Not knowing what else to do, Sakura chose to go over to the field and rest for awhile. Coming upon the field, she noticed that someone else was there before her.

"Honda san?"

The said man turned around and looked at her.

"Haruno sensei," he nods his head in acknowledgement.

Sakura walked towards him and sat by his side. He was again staring ahead at the hills. At that moment, Sakura realized she forgot about the questions she wanted to ask the villagers concerning him.

"I see you came," he continues.

"You were waiting for me?" she asked.

"I wanted to see any improvement," he replied.

"Oh!"

"There is not much change though," he said, now looking at her.

"Ah…ermm…I don't know what to say," Sakura replied.

"Telling someone else your problem helps to heal the invisible scar," he told her.

Angry with his advice Sakura replied fuming, "You don't have any right to meddle with my affair."

He gave a small smile and turned back looking at the hills.

"I speak from experience, Haruno sensei," he told.

"Oh really! Then why do you still have a pair of sad eyes if talking helps heal your heart," Sakura countered.

"Because I have no one to talk to. All the villagers know my story, so to whom should I tell then?" he replied softly.

Sakura was embarrassed with her sudden outburst. She shouldn't have shouted at him like that.

"Tell me, I'll listen," Sakura said gently.

He didn't say anything for a long time. Sakura assumed that he didn't want to tell her. So she didn't pester him.

"I loved her very much," he said suddenly.

Startled, Sakura turned and looked at him instantly.

"She was my neighbor. Ever since I was sixteen, I decided that once I was older I will marry her."

He paused, taking in a deep breath.

"When I turned twenty-five, I had enough money to start a family so I asked her father's permission for her hand. Her father was happy and accepted the proposal. I was happy. Five months later we got married."

He tilted his head up and stared at the clouds.

"Apparently she didn't like me. She was in love with another guy from the neighboring village. She was unhappy. Her family didn't ask her whether she likes me, neither did I. I assumed she liked me since she was friendly to me."

"Our marriage was not a happy one but I never stopped loving her. One day, some of the villagers and I went to town to sell our harvests. It was very late by the time we got back. The village was in a chaos, people were running here and there shouting. I heard a few words regarding my wife and fire. I immediately ran home and saw my house on fire. Some of the villagers were trying to put out the fire and I heard that my wife was still in there."

There were tears running down his cheeks.

"I rushed into the house to save her but I was too late. I saw her body burning in the kitchen. I could hear her screaming but I couldn't reach her. A pole was blocking me. I was trying to push the pole away when some of the villagers came after me and pulled me out."

He wiped his cheeks and pinched his eyes.

"I was fighting with the villagers to release me but they were saying that it was too late to save her. The fire died down when dawn approached and there was nothing left of my house. Everything was burned."

"A week later, my father-in-law gave me a letter saying that he found it in his home. The letter was addressed to me from my late wife. She wrote saying that, she was planning to run away with the man she loved but when he found out that she was pregnant with my child, he abandoned her. She asked me to forgive her for taking away her life and my unborn child's."

Digesting his story she asks him softly, "Have you forgiven her?"

"I'm not sure. The child did not do any wrong. She sacrificed an innocent life because she was unable to accept the rejection."

"When did this happen?"

"Ten years ago," he replied looking at her.

"Ten years is a long time to not forgive someone. Forgive her mistakes, I'm sure you'll be happier after that."

"I'll think about it."

Sakura and Takashi continued sitting quietly, lost in their own thoughts. A couple of minutes later.

"I'll tell you my story the next time we meet," Sakura said getting up to leave.

He turns and looks at her. He nods at her and she turns around and walks away, ready to tell her story the next time they see each other here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Author's note: Yay! Another chapter completed. I have the story in my mind but finding it difficult to write it down. I'll start working on another chapter.**


End file.
